The Means
by Major Grai
Summary: What happened the night Ursa, Zuko's mother, disappeared.


**This is my first Avatar fanfiction. Please review. I don't own Avatar… or my soul. Should probably look into that.**

*******

She had no way of knowing whether of not it was the truth. But deep down in her heart and soul Ursa knew the truth. She knew that Azula was not lying and her husband was in fact going to kill her son. Her only son. Her child.

Ursa wiped away the tears that were clinging to her face. She shook her head. No. She wouldn't be week. She couldn't afford it. Not now. For Zuko's sake.

She had to find out what to do. Get Zuko out of here her instincts screamed at her. No. That was a bad move. There was no one she trusted enough to take care of him. Besides, they would be caught.

Ursa began to think harder. Pacing up and down the room. Azulon would be quite taken with his punishment. He had a taste of cruelty. Ursa thought it was a punishment too savage to be thought up, let alone be put into action. She shuttered.

Ursa stood there weighing the circumstance. She bit her lip. Ozai would have to kill someone to meet his father's wishes. _Why not me? _

Ursa froze. Why had she not thought of this earlier? It was so simple. It would cause Ozai pain and Azulan would be appeased. _And Zuko would be safe. _That was all that mattered.

Ursa turned out into the hallway and started walking. She'd tell Azulan and Ozai that it was simply diplomatic. That she thought Zuko was a better leader. That Azula would be bad for the Fire Nation. That she was a little monster. The last part was true but Ursa didn't dwell on that. It no longer mattered.

When reaching the Fire Lords chambers she sighed and turned to the guards. This was it.

***

Ursa sat there quietly while Azulon processed her request. He had a small smirk of malicious enjoyment on his face.

He was enjoying it. A women's immense pain. The thought of her losing her son and being willing to do anything to stop it. The monster!

"And you say the reason you want to save your son is for diplomatic reasons only?"

"Yes," Ursa answered keeping her face blank.

Azulon let out a great laugh.

"You and I both know that that is a lie. The reason I know this is because when my son was given a choice between you and your sister he chose you. Two identical twins and he chose you. It was a test that I had set up for him. The hard, cold, strong fire bender… or, the weaker, kindhearted sister. I wanted him to choose your twin as a wife. But… instead, he chose you. Why? Because he still had some silly misguided notions of love in his mind. Naturally I crushed that out of him as soon as possible."

Ursa kept quiet but her mouth turned into a thin line, tears in her eyes, her hands quenched tightly inside of her sleeves.

Azulon only laughed.

"Guards!" he called calmly.

"Yes, sir?" one said as it came in.

"Get my son," Azulon ordered as his eyes returned to Ursa.

"Don't feel sad about my son's inability to love. It was long gone by the time your marriage. His feelings were merely fanciful ones. They meant _nothing_."

Ursa's rage had reached its limits. She did not know exactly what she was doing. But she knew that Azulon was merely teasing her. He would _not_ accept her proposal. The options in her mind were limited. Hide Zuko was her best one so far.

_Or kill Azulon. _

Ursa froze at that one. It's your best option; she told herself, without Azulon, Ozai wouldn't have to kill Zuko.

Ursa did not continue to think about.

Though single memory came to her mind. Her aunt saying, "The ends never justify the means as much as people want them to." But she would be wrong about this. All that mattered was Zuko living.

Before Azulon could speak again Ursa began to draw up the lightning.

"What are you doing?" Azulon demanded his rage piercing her ears as growled.

"Saving my son," Ursa said while the tears began to fall.

***

Ozai could see wisps of smoke coming out of the cracks below the door.

"Leave me. All of you!" he ordered to the guards.

"But sir—"

"Did I ask you to contradict me? Now leave!"

"Yes sir!"

Ozai opened the door a crack and looked in. What he saw shocked him. But he wiped that look off his face immediately.

Inside the room grayish black smoke was everywhere. But it was not that that caught Ozai's attention. It was his wife. Leaning over his father, taking his pulse. It did not take Ozai long to see the black patch right on his heart.

He entered the smoky room and shut the door with a force to let his presence be known.

Ursa whipped around.

"Ozai—" she tried to explain.

"What… did you do?"

"He asked you to kill Zuko I couldn't let that happen."

"So you killed him?" Ozai asked angrily.

"You can be Fire Lord now," Ursa said desperately.

Ozai was silent for a moment. It was true he could be. Zuko would live so Ozai would have time to make him a proper ruler. Everything seemed so much easier now… But Ursa could not get away with it.

Death was not an option. Something, deep down inside of him refused to even entertain the idea.

Another thought chimed in. Banishment.

"Ursa you were careless. There were guards outside. You clearly did not think this trough. From this moment in time you are hereby banished from this part of the Fire Nation. Go to you chamber directly; retrieve your things and leave. I expect you gone tonight."

Without another word he left.

Ursa began to sob. Then she stopped herself. Zuko.

***

Ursa did not go directly to her chambers and collect her things. She ran to Zuko's room. She opened the door and walked in and stopped. As soon as she saw him asleep tears started to stream down her face again.

She wiped them away. She sighed, walked over to her son and put her cheek against his. More tears streamed out but she pushed them away.

Ursa sighed deeply and shook Zuko awake to speak with him and say goodbye… for the last time ever.

*******

**Well there you have it. I hope it was good. **

**I always thought Ursa had asked Ozai to kill her instead of Zuko. I always imagined her standing in front of a wall and saying to Ozai "Do it directly to the heart. So it will be over faster."**

**Please review.**

—**Major Grai**


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